There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today."

So she did and she had a wonderful day.

 

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"H-M-M," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today."

So she did and she had a grand day.

 

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."

So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

 

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEA!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

 

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!

 

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,

Love generously,

Care deeply,

Speak kindly.......

'Trimming the Tree' is usually used to refer to decorating the tree, as figure of speech.  However, we actually had to do some serious 'trimming' of our spruce tree in order for it to fit into the house, through the doorway and into the tree stand.  Once it was righted, we did more trimming to give it a classical Christmas tree shape.  Our porch is covered in pine branches that we have cut off this tree!

This tree is traditionally decorated with multi-colored lights, some blinking, some not.  Daddy and Nate were the masterminds who made quick work of getting the light strands ready (not because they were tangled, but because we had to replace some bulbs).  Quinn helped Mama put the lights on the tree and then Kent was given the honor of placing the first ornament (his new football ornament) on the tree.  Then Quinn hung his new ornament (green hot rod), then Nate hung his new ornament (black and white kitten).

Once the new ornaments have been hung on the tree, then the decorating begins.  While Mama unpacks all of the ornaments and sorts them out for each person, the men of the house keep busy decorating the tree.  The boys do a fine job and the end result is a jam-packed, festive tree ready for Santa...

After the tree is decorated, we top it with the angel and put the Thomas the Tank Engine train track around its base.

Quinn designed this Log Cabin out of Lincoln Logs today (he even took the picture himself)...

Nate attended the assessments today for the Lightning LAX League (9-10 yr olds)... (he's #21, wearing the green/gold helmet).

He was a little rusty but once he got out there in his gear, he got his groove back. 

We always have fresh cut trees in our home at Christmas time.  We typically have 2 trees: one in the library (tall and skinny with colored lights and kid-friendly ornaments), one in the family room (short and fat with white lights and fragile, delicate ornaments).

Most years, we head to Jarrettsville Nurseries, a nearby tree farm that is quite popular.  But, this year, we decided to patronize Environmental Evergreens, a tree farm about 1/2 hour drive from home that nurtures its trees in an eco-friendly way (without sprays, etc).

We bundled up, grabbed the two-man saw and ventured out to the wooded acres in search of our trees.  We found the library tree first... a very tall spruce that we topped off to make a 7' tree.  The boys each took a turn with the saw.

Here's a shot of the proud tree hunters and their prize tree!

This spruce was so fat, that it wouldn't fit through the wrapper machine, so we had to tie it down free form on top of the truck to get it home!

We head out to cut our Christmas Trees tomorrow.  So, tonight, we kept up our Christmas Tree Eve traditions.

Our first stop was Valley View Farm where we enjoyed looking at all of the decorated trees and the Christmas Village display.

We each selected a new ornament to put on our tree.  The selection of ornaments can be overwhelming.  Here is a photo of the boys pondering a samplng of their choices. 

This year, Daddy was the first to pick his ornament (which is rare!).  Nate decided quickly too; he chose a black & white kitten.  Quinn had the hardest time deciding since he really wanted a Batman ornament, and there weren't any; he came home with a green and black hot rod instead.  Kent had the quandry of choosing between Superman and Football - his two passions in life.  He decided to go with the football since it would be a nice way to memorialize his first year playing on a team.

After we enjoyed the sights at Valley View, we headed to Kenilworth Plaza to see the train garden.  It's such a kid-friendly display with lots of interactive buttons and fun, favorite characters and themes.

This year, we especially enjoyed the Circus Tent, the Ravens Stadium and, as always, the bridges that extend over the fountain.

Before we left, Daddy snapped some photos of the boys with Mama by the fountain...

Quinn wrote this column to appear in the upcoming issue of KidView (a magazine published by HAHSA homeschoolers).  We will be highlighting a different farm animal in each issue.

A Day on the Farm…

by QJB, Age 7

We have three pigs on our farm this year.  They are Duroc pigs which are reddish-brown and have floppy ears.  Our pigs are very strong because they have broken our fences many times and then we have to fix our fences again and again.  Our pigs dig up the ground very fast with their strong noses. Right now they are digging up our new garden for next Spring.  They like to eat the grass and the roots in the ground.  Every day, we also feed them their own special pig food that we call ‘corn mash’.  They also like to eat our left-over food that we call ‘slop’.  Pigs are sometimes dirty and sometimes clean.  They like to play around in the mud in the summertime because it makes them cool.  Pigs can get sunburned and the mud helps protect them. When we use the hose to fill their buckets in the summer, we squirt the dirt to make mud for them.  We also squirt the pigs to cool them off.  They like it very much when we squirt them.  Our pigs like to play together.  They have fun running around and chasing each other.  They make different sounds and they like to be scratched on their backs and by their ears.  In the morning, I see them cuddled up in a corner of their paddock.  When I come over to them with the pig bucket, they come running because they know I am going to feed them.  Sometimes when I am really going to see the sheep, they think that I am going to feed them and follow me.  Pigs are fun.  I like having pigs.

You have to check out this fun (and cute) satire video by comedian and homeschooling parent, Tim Hawkins....

A Homeschool Family

This is a great little 'music video'  set to the tune of 'The Adams Family' which touches upon the many stereotypical misconceptions about homeschoolers. 

Robert Sharpe produced the video for comedian/friend Tim Hawkins, who wrote the parody song. Tim plays the dad in the music video and his wife, Heather, plays the mom – half of the kids are theirs and the other half are friends. They have homeschooled their kids, but Heather is undergoing chemo for breast cancer, so for right now she is just homeschooling the younger ones. Tthe video was shot in
about half a day and then I edited it with Tim’s brother and manager, Todd Hawkins.

If you want more information about Tim, visit his website (http://timhawkins.net/).  His 'Full Range of Motion” DVD very highly recommended by others. It has some hilarious takes on parenting and homeschooling and has about 2 hours of great, family-friendly entertainment. You can also see some free clips from the DVD on his website and see a couple of other music videos - “Cletus Take the Reel” is really funny.

Here's the Holiday addition to the Boys' Poetry series, Stuff That Hasn't Been...

STILL MORE STUFF THAT HASN’T BEEN

A winter that isn't cold.

A holly branch without leaves.

A jingle bell That doesn’t ring.

A Christmas tree without a trunk.

A wreath that isn’t green.

A fireplace without a fire.

A cookie that hasn’t been baked.

An ice skate without a blade.

A snowman that can’t melt.

A santa without a sleigh.

A blizzard that doesn’t blow.

A snowball without snow.

A sled that doesn’t slide.

A snowtube without air.

A mitten without a thumb.

An ICICLE that isn’t cold.

A snowflake without a design.

A mug of hot chocolate that isn’t hot.

A snowboard without bindings.

A skier who doesn’t have skis.

A roasted marshmallow without a stick.

An igloo that isn’t made of ice.

A dog sled without dogs.

A sweater that isn’t warm.

An arctic fox without fur.

A glove that doesn’t have fingers.

A polar bear that can’t swim.

A snow angel without wings.

A snowmobile that can’t drive.

A blanket  that isn’t snuggly.

A pair of boots without soles.

A hibernating animal that isn’t asleep.

-December 2007

A Christmas Grace By Garry Cleveland Myers, Ph.D. Highlights Founder

Not only for the things That we can taste and touch But for what Christmas brings Of kindness, love, and such, We thank thee, Lord.

What the World Eats

  Photographs and text by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Alusio

A pictorial comparison of 25 families from around the world - representation of one week's worth of food purchased to feed their families.

Photos are presented in descending order of food expenditure (US$).

While reviewing the photos, take note of the quantity of food, the types of foods (processed vs fresh), as well as the number of family members.

From the Book, "Hungry Planet"

Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide

Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07 US
Favorite foods: fried potatoes with onions, bacon and herring, fried noodles with eggs and cheese, pizza, vanilla pudding

Luxembourg: The Kuttan-Kasses of Erpeldange

Food expenditure for one week: 347.64 Euros or $465.84 US
Favorite Foods: Shrimp pizza, Chicken in wine sauce, Turkish kebabs

France: The Le Moines of Montreuil

Food expenditure for one week: 315.17 euros or $419.95 US
Favorite Foods: Delphine Le Moine's Apricot Tarts, pasta carbonara, Thai food

Australia: The Browns of River View

Food expenditure for one week: 481.14 Australian dollars or US$376.45 US
Family Recipe: Marge Brown's Quandong (an Australian peach) Pie, Yogurt

Canada: The Melansons of Iqaluit, Nunavut Territory

Food expenditure for one week: $345.00 US
Favorite Foods: narwhal, polar bear, extra cheese stuffed crust pizza, watermelon

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina

Food expenditure for one week: $341.98 US
Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken

Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City

Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25 US
Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips

Greenland: The Madsens of Cap Hope

Food expenditure for one week: 1,928.80 Danish krone or $277.12 US
Favorite Foods: polar bear, narwhal skin, seal stew

Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily

Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11 US
Favorite foods: fish, pasta with ragu, hot dogs, frozen fish sticks

Great Britain: The Bainton family of Cllingbourne Ducis

Food expenditure for one week: 155.54 British Pounds or $253.15 US
Favorite foods: avocado, mayonnaise sandwich, prawn cocktail, chocolate fudge cake with cream

United States: The Fernandezes of Texas

Food expenditure for one week: $242.48 US
Favorite Foods: Shrimp with Alfredo sauce, chicken mole, barbecue ribs, pizza

Kuwait: The Al Haggan family of Kuwait City

Food expenditure for one week: 63.63 dinar or $221.45 US

Family recipe: Chicken biryani with basmati rice

Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca

Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09 US
Favorite foods: pizza, crab, pasta, chicken

United States: The Caven family of California

Food expenditure for one week: $159.18 US
Favorite foods: beef stew, berry yogurt sundae, clam chowder, ice cream

China: The Dong family of Beijing

Food expenditure for one week: 1,233.76 Yuan or $155.06 US
Favorite foods: fried shredded pork with sweet and sour sauce

Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna

Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27 US
Family recipe: Pig's knuckles with carrots, celery and parsnips

Turkey: The Celiks of Istanbul

Food expenditure for one week: 198.48 New Turkish liras or $145.88 US
Favorite Foods: Melahat's Puffed Pastries

Guatemala: The Mendozas of Todos Santos

Food expenditure for one week: 573 Quetzales or $75.70 US
Family Recipe: Turkey Stew and Susana Perez Matias's Sheep Soup

Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo

Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53 US
Family recipe: Okra and mutton

Mongolia: The Batsuuri family of Ulaanbaatar

Food expenditure for one week: 41,985.85 togrogs or $40.02 US
Family recipe: Mutton dumplings

India: The Patkars of Ujjain

Food expenditure for one week: 1,636.25 rupees or $39.27 US
Family Recipe: Sangeeta Patkar's Poha (Rice Flakes)

Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo

Food expenditure for one week: $31.55 US
Family recipe: Potato soup with cabbage

Mali: The Natomos of Kouakourou

Food expenditure for one week: 17,670 francs or $26.39 US
Family Recipe: Natomo Family Rice Dish

Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village

Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03 US
Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23 US
Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat

This video is titled '500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art' by Philip Scott Johnson.

This is an amazing look at 90 paintings by various artists including:

Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Botticelli , Boltraffio, Albrecht Durer, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Messina, Perugino, Hans Memling, El Greco, Hans Holbein, Rokotov, Peter Paul Rubens, Gobert, Caspar Netscher, Pierre Mignard, Jean-Marc Nattier, Vigee-Le Brun, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Winterhalter, Tyranov, Borovikovsky, Venetsianov, Gros, Kiprensky, Amalie, Corot, Edouard Manet, Flatour, Ingres, Wontner, Bouguereau, Comerre, Leighton, Blaas, Renoir, Millias, Duveneck, Cassatt, Weir, Zorn, Mucha, Paul Gaugan, Henri Matisse, Picabia, Gustav Klimt, Hawkins, Magritte, Salvador Dali, Malevich, Merrild, Modigliani, Pablo Picasso

CLICK HERE to see a complete listing which provides a still image of each masterpiece along with its title, name of artist and time period.

(Music: Bach's Sarabande from Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 performed by Yo-Yo Ma)

Nate submitted for the Travel Column in the upcoming issue of HAHSA's KidView Magazine...

Train Gardens

By Nate Bero

Every year around Christmas, our family visits train gardens. Train gardens are model railroads built to look like real towns and cities.  Most train gardens have houses, buildings, bridges, mountains, tunnels, roads and trees just like real life.  

Some of our favorite train gardens are at fire stations.  We are lucky because we live very close to a big train garden at the Jarrettsville Fire House.  When we go there, we like to see the different size trains.  There are about five different sizes of trains. 

Usually there is a scavenger hunt game you can play.  You have to find a list of special things in the display.  This year, one of the things we had to find was a pink elephant (we found it on the putt-putt golf course).  Playing the game let’s us have fun while we’re at the train garden and see little things that we never noticed before. 

I know that it takes a lot of work to setup the trains and build the displays.  It also takes a lot of money to buy all of the trains and displays.  I’m very thankful that the people set up and build the displays for us to come and see.  I think that train gardens are very cool and exciting and awesome.  You should go see the awesome train gardens. 

NOTE: To find a nice list of local train gardens, you should check out this website: http://www.kidstreetnews.com/train-gardens.htm

Boy, life doesn't get much better than that...  singing fun Christmas songs with friends who are all decked out in their pj's, lounging on pillows surrounded with brownies, pretzels, cookies - AND getting to wear silly elf hats or reindeer antlers!  Now, that's a good time!

We attended HAHSA's Christmas Party this evening and the boys had a blast.  In addition to the silly headwear, everyone left with goodie bags full of neat holiday treats.  We made up our own version of the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' and burnt up alot of energy marching around the room as we sang 'Frosty the Snowman'. 

Today, we spent the afternoon at Lorien Nursing Home.  A group of homeschooling families joined together to sing carols for the residents.  The children gave a wonderful performance and everyone especially enjoyed the jingle bells.

After the singing was over, we share hand-crafted cards and spent some time getting to know some of the folks.  Some children played a few songs on the piano.  We made a display that included a Christmas tree crafted of the children's construction-paper hands.  It was a pleasant afternoon and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
  I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
  My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
  My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
  Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
  Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
  The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
  Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
  My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
  Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
  In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
  So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

  The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
  But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
  Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
  sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
  My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
  And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
  Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
  A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

  A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
  Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
  Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
  Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
  "What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
  "Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
  Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
  You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

  For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
  Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
  To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
  Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
  I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night." "It's
  my duty to stand at the front of the line,
  That separates you from the darkest of times.
  No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
  I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me
  My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
  Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers"
  My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
  And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
  I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
  But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

  Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
  The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
  I can live through the cold and the being alone,
  Away from my family, my house and my home.
  I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
  I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
  I can carry the weight of killing another,
  Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
  Who stand at the front against any and all,
  To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

  "So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
  Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
  "But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
  "Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
  It seems all too little for all that you've done,
  For being away from your wife and your son."
  Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
  "Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
  To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
  To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
  For when we come home, either standing or dead,
  To know you remember we fought and we bled.
  Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
  That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

John Olson ©Stars and Stripes
South Vietnam, December, 1967: 9th Infantry Division soldiers Staff Sgt. William Dowell of Orange Lake, N.J., and Pfc. Ronald Hull of Waupun, Wis., relax next to an idle mortar.

We visited the Train Garden at the Jarrettsville Volunteer Fire Department today.  The display gets better every year.  We stayed for quite awhile... first, we casually viewed all of the various sets - the boys saught out the many buttons to be pushed to make the tracks come alive.

Once around, we found the Scavenger Hunt sheet and began our quest to find each item on the list.  Quinn was the most enthusiastic about the hunt and was able to recall the location of many of the items quickly.

Some of our favorite items included the carnival, baseball field, burning building and the small town decked out for the holidays.

Here's a neat photo of Mousse, our Chocolate Lab.

The sun is beginning to set and his fur looks somewhat golden in the sunlight.  It was a nice, mild day... you can see the snow is nearly melted.

I love word games!

One of my favorite all-time games is Boggle. As a matter of fact, I would play Solitaire Boggle for hours at a time when I was a young girl.

When I received a Big Boggle game as a pre-teen, my passion for the game just increased.  The larger game board permitted me to continue to challenge my game skills.  I started to stake my claim as the 'Queen of Boggle'...

As an adult, I have kept my zeal for the game and was overjoyed when I discovered Boggle Supreme, an interactive Boggle game which allows me to compete against the computer.  I love it! 

I played Boggle Junior with the boys as toddlers which didn't quite provide the full experience of the game (in my opinion).  This version of the game helped them more with letter recognition than spelling or phonics.  It just didn't hold their interest.

So, as each boy showed a genuine interest in reading, I would have them sit alongside me as we played a Solitaire game of the computer-based Boggle Supreme using the classic version (shown above) and turning the timer off.

Initially, I would find a word, type it out as shown on the notepad (e.g. 'they'), then I would ask the child to sound it out.  Actually, I would do progressional spelling - first, typing in the word 'the'; then 'they'' then 'thee'.  Once the word was read successfully, I would ask that the word be defined by having the child use it in a sentence or give an example.  Instead of feeling like this was a drill, the boys thought this was a further extension of the game.  They really enjoy that exercise and often still do it without any prompting.

What is particularly effective about this game is that it will not allow you to mis-spell a word; it will not accept it.  The player can receive incremental hints when stumped and also read definitions for correctly spelled words (note:  the game requires words of three letters or more).  The boys can choose to use the keyboard to type in the word or guide the mouse over the cubes, and click each letter in sequence - as each letter is selected, it is highlighted (as shown above) which allows the boys to easily track their spelling. 

All of my boys have learned to read by playing Boggle using this approach.  Its been very fun and relaxed and, best of all, it has given us a chance to spend time together playing one of my favorite games (which, hopefully, has also become one of their favorites as well).  I highly recommend this game not only for entertainment and wholesome family fun, but as a great teaching tool.

Hammin it up for the camera - Kent is all smiles in his Superman shirt.

We read the sweetest book tonight written by Kate Westerlund and Eve Tharlet titled 'Sharing Christmas' (ISBN 978-0-698-40074-0).  It was just published in September 2007.

Here's what Publisher's Weekly had to say...

Tharlet's (the Davy books) sweet-faced woodland creatures, including a squirrel in a dashing red scarf and a fawn wearing some sort of folksy ear mittens, are saved by the bell. Well, at least the sound of jingle bells, which leads them to food—a scarcity in the harsh early winter. The mystery jinglers join the animals for a festive and snowy Christmas potluck, heralding the true spirit of sharing. Tharlet's amiable bestiary is a memorably winning crew—wide-eyed, gentle and friendly. And Westerland's light touch (“Osgood told the story of the first Christmas. Donkeys do that especially well”) ensures that her uplifting story never gets treacly. Ages 4-up.

The boys were filled with much anticipation last night as they went to bed as they were hoping that the ground would be covered in snow when they awoke since the forecast was calling for possible accumulation of atleast 2 inches.  By 9am, the flurries had started and got heavier by noon.  With the low overnight temps the ground was plenty cold enough to let the falling snow layer on the ground everywhere.  Quinn's face was just beaming with excitement as he looked out the window!  There wasn't any time for breakfast as they hurried to get on their snow gear and bust out the door to play.

The snow kept up its pace for most of the day and we amassed more than originally predicted which just delighted the boys for sure.  They bounded in and out of the house sporadically throughout the day to warm up with hot chocolate and soup.  They shoveled some snow, did some sledding, threw plenty of snowballs and had tons of fun (they also got the farm chores done in spits and spurts).  A trio of boys makes for lots of winter mischief apparently as I was hard-pressed to find them for part of the day.

Alas, all of my photos of devoid of my little men.  Perhaps tomorrow I can get them to stay still long enough to snap some shots of them enjoying the first real snow for the winter.

I absolutely LOVE Christmas music!

Isn't that an exquisite painting?  Can you imagine the beautiful lullaby being played for the newborn king?

I love all kinds of Christmas music.  As a matter of fact, I have dozens of cds and cassette tapes.  A couple of years ago, I transferred all of my cds to my iPod and now I can easily take my favorite music with me wherever I go.  I have a diverse selection of music genres in my holiday collection which includes classical, instrumental, jazz, choral, traditional, folk, country, rock, etc. 

When we subscribed to DirecTV two years ago, I loved having the XM Satellite Radio stations to choose from for holiday music too.  We have since cancelled our subscription and I rely on my iPod.

If you don't have a local radio station that plays non-stop Christmas music, you should try Live 365 Internet Radio - where you can listen to thousands of FREE stations - there are 15 Christmas Music Stations available... Check it out!

As part of the TechBrick Presentation Team, Nate served as the Scribe during an exercise where his teammates continued their research and worked on the first phase of solar viability as an energy conservation solution.

For this exercise, they needed to answer this question: Is the house in the right position for solar power?

To answer that question, they setup their house model with a northern orientation on a sheet and, then, using a chart of azimuth and angle, measured the resultant angle on the roof.  They graphed their findings and will next calculate the cost vs. benefits of the installation of solar panels for this house.

Check out this neat interactive Sunshine Applet to determine the most intense sunlight and the highest risk for sun damage for the day.  You can specify your location then change the time of day or day/month to see the sun's path and light. 

A light dusting of snow lay atop the blanket of leaves on the ground.  A clear sign that autumn is nearing its end and that we are on the cusp of winter.  It seems as if autumn gets shorter every year - which saddens me since its a favorite season of mine.  I do find comfort in the fact that Christmas is much more enjoyable with chilly weather, as it conjures up the possibility of a White Christmas - something that I know the boys greatly desire.

Granny brought these wooden ornaments for the boys today.  They just love to decorate wooden ornaments and immediately got busy with their markers.  The neat thing about these particular ornaments was that the boys could add their names to the little placards hanging on the bottom.  Note: Nate has recently been fine-tuning his cursive handwriting, trying to find his own 'signature'... 

Our family has many traditions for this time of year…  all of them are special to us.  Each year, we try some new things and drop some things that don't work quite as well for us anymore.  Here's a recap of the various ways we celebrate the holidays.

Beginning the day after Thanksgiving, we only listen to Christmas music and audiobooks and read Christmas books.  We really try to immerse ourselves in the season since it lasts such a short time.

·      This year, we started the season by watching The Nativity Story which I think we’ll continue to do to officially start the Christmas Season for our family – it is a nice reminder of the true ‘Reason for the Season’.

·      We have a homemade garland of mini stockings that hangs in the kitchen bay window which serves as our official countdown to Christmas which Granny made for the boys.  Usually, she brings it over the week after Thanksgiving so its hung in time for December 1^st – each stocking has a little surprise in it and the boys rotate turns each day (fortunately it works out evenly… 24 stockings; 3 boys; 8 surprises each).

·      We have a Celtic Advent Wreath that serves as the centerpiece on our kitchen table during the month.  We light the candles and say a prayer before dinner each night of Advent.

·      The night before we get our trees, we visit the renowned Train Garden at the Shops at Kenilworth in Towson.  In its 18th year, this fascinating display has become a holiday spectacle for many families in anticipation of the vast electric train exhibit which features bridges, animated figures and interactive push button animations and can be viewed from two levels. 

        Afterwards, we head to Valley View Farms in Hunt Valley where we admire all of the themed decorated trees and each child picks a new ornament for the tree (the ornaments that they amass over the years will go with them when they leave home, to put on their own trees).

·      We've been cutting down our Christmas trees at Jarrettsville Nurseries since 1997.  We wander through the fields of trees looking for two perfect trees: usually 2 Douglas Firs: one tall & skinny; one short & fat.  After we setup both trees and put on the lights, we decorate the tall one in the library by the fireplace (easy access for Santa) with all of the kids’ ornaments and the short one in the living room with all of the fragile, fancy ornaments. The kids' tree is complete once the Thomas the Tank Engine train is setup beneath it.

        Finally, we snuggle up with hot chocolate and watch The Santa Clause movie with Tim Allen – this year, we’re going to ‘camp out’ under the tree for the night.

·      During the day on Christmas Eve, we make chili and cornbread... and we bake.  We make a sugar cookie tree and a standing snowman cake then decorate them.  We also head to the Bel Air Bakery in downtown, historic Bel Air to select pastries, donuts and cookies to enjoy on Christmas morning (we don’t like to be bothered with making breakfast).

        Then, after the evening service, we come home and we all put on our red plaid pajamas, watch either Miracle on 34th Street or It’s a Wonderful Life.

        After the movie, Joe reads ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ to the boys.  Then they put out the cookies, carrots & milk for Santa & his reindeer, move the fireplace grate to the side so that Santa doesn't trip then off to bed.  Whew!

·      On Christmas morning, we gather around the nativity, Daddy reads Matthew & Luke from the Bible, the baby Jesus is placed in the manger to complete the nativity and we sing a few hymns and carols.  Then, we feast on our goodies from the bakery before we venture into the library to see what Santa brought.  The boys are amazingly patient while we snap photos and take video.  All of us stay in our Christmas pajamas the entire day.  We enjoy a fresh roast for dinner with all the fixings, including pumpkin pie with cool whip.

·      On Boxing Day, we head to my parents home in Baltimore to celebrate with our extended family - ranging between 30-40 people.  We hangout there for the entire day - we have a big feast of turkey, ham and/or lamb, exchange presents, play games, watch movies, and finish the day with a trip to the Wise Avenue Fire Station Train Display.

Quinn and Kent are studying the 'Flags of the World' poster with great interest.  They are comparing and contrasting the designs and colors.  I was later told that Quinn was the Reader and Kent was the Counter.

In order to emphasize the spirit of giving, we have several projects each year that we complete as a family…

·         Shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse – each boy fills a box for a boy his same age.  Each boy write a note, draws a picture and includes a photo of himself to be included in the box along with all of the goodies.  This project has proven to be a wonderful opportunity to illustrate the many luxuries we have in the United States and how we take them for granted.